And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
As the king was passing by, the man called out to him and said, 'Your servant went out into the middle of the battle. A soldier brought a prisoner to me and said, 'Guard this man. If he escapes, you'll pay with your life, or you'll have to pay a talent of silver.'
The writer is telling how a prophet disguised as a soldier created a parable to confront King Ahab about letting the enemy king Ben-hadad escape when God wanted him captured.
📚 Historical Context
In the time of King Ahab of Israel, God had granted him a miraculous victory over the Arameans through a prophet's guidance, but commanded him to completely destroy the enemy king. However, Ahab chose to spare the king and make a treaty, disregarding God's explicit instructions. This verse features a prophet disguising himself to confront Ahab with a parable that directly parallels his disobedience.
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